Every year, oh about this time, I start experimenting with...gears.
*shudder*
Usually it last about a month and then I get bored and go back to SS.
But I've gotta say, I've been really having a blast riding Blüsteel set up as a 1x8.
I've got big fat fattys on it (Ardent 2.25s), I believe that's the key;
the big meats.
Let's get all OCD and have some fun with math.
I did this ride singlespeed on Saturday:
today I did the same ride, but I started at the Res, and rode the 1x8.
From home I averaged 9.2 mph on a 15.7 mile ride.
At the Res. only ride I averaged 8.4 mph over 11.3 miles.
In other words, I'd only have to average 12.5 mph on the road to equal my pace on Saturday. Even on the singlespeed I'd have to be seriously goofing off to only average 12.5 mph on the road.
Here's a couple more factors to possibly consider:
*Mary Jane weighed 22.4 pound on Saturday (Ardent up front / Crossmark rear)
*Blüsteel currently weighs 25.4 pound.
Actually the weight difference was less due to another factor;
I forgot my water bottles today.
*Saturday I had Iron Maiden in my head, today Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros.
*Today my bike was making a strange metallic sound that had me stopping to try and
figure it out (you can see on Strava I was "resting" twice as long today as Saturday).
Sooo...
If it's faster, and as long as it's fun...
...talk to me in a month.
3 comments:
Hiyah!
I quite like the math, though I'm mostly a roadie myself. What kind of GPS device do you use? I've been looking at a few and find the battery life a bit crap.
Mx
I use a Garmin 305 and a 500. The 500 has a really long battery charge and 3 screens, so you don't have to overload a screen with information. You can have a few data fields on each screen and toggle between them; especially helpful for aging eyes.
A couple friends use the Strava app on their smart phones (one iphone, one android), with great success. I tried it with my iphone3 and had spotty results.
Just get a mtb PT wheel. Watts are watts.
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